Russian Air Force: Europe Airspace Encroachment Is 'Unusual'

In this May 7, 2009 file photo, a Russian TU-160 strategic bomber, IL-78, and MIG-31 fighter jets fly over the Kremlin on Red Square in Moscow on during a rehearsal for the May 9 Victory Day parade celebrating the end of WWII. (Alexey Saznov/AFP/Getty Images)

A U.S. defense official, speaking anonymously to the Post, said, "It’s concerning because it’s moving in the wrong direction. It’s not helping to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine. It’s not helping to improve relations between NATO and Russia. It’s not helping anybody."

In a statement detailing the incidents, NATO said, “NATO detected and monitored four groups of Russian military aircraft conducting significant military maneuvers in European airspace over the Baltic Sea, North Sea/Atlantic Ocean, and Black Sea on 28 and 29 October 2014. These sizable Russian flights represent an unusual level of air activity over European airspace.”

"Scrambles and intercepts are standard procedure when an unknown aircraft approaches Nato airspace," the statement said.

Talking about one specific incident, NATO also said, “The bomber and tanker aircraft from Russia did not file flight plans or maintain radio contact with civilian air traffic control authorities and they were not using on-board transponders. This poses a potential risk to civil aviation as civilian air traffic control cannot detect these aircraft or ensure there is no interference with civilian air traffic.”